After making his senior debut for Pep Guardiola’s star-packed Barcelona side in 2008, it didn’t take long for Pedro to begin turning heads.
The forward made a series of cameo appearances during Barca’s 2008/09 treble-winning seasons and became the first player to score in every official club competition in a single season and also in a calendar year in 2009/10.
This put him on Spain national team boss VIncene del Bosque’s radar ahead of the 2010 World Cup, as La Roja looked to follow up their Euro 2008 win with a maiden World Cup victory. Pedro would make his Spain debut in one of his side’s warm-up matches and just a few weeks later he found himself in the starting line-up for the World Cup final against the Netherlands in Johannesburg.
Pedro on his Spain World Cup whirlwind
“It was like something out of a movie, from the very call-up to the World Cup,” Pedro tells FourFourTwo. “Just playing at a World Cup was the most important thing and the manager, Vicente del Bosque, gave me confidence. I played some sporadic minutes at the tournament but I didn’t start until the semi-finals and wasn’t expecting it. The coach didn’t talk to me about it until a few hours before that match against Germany. It was a surprise.
“That made me feel a bit tense, but I was focused and convinced that I could help the team. Iker Casillas, Puyol and Xavi told me to stay calm and play like I did in training. It was one of the best matches of my career. It was tough because, despite us dominating, Germany held out until the iconic corner in the second half.
“Puyol had come into the changing room at half-time and told Xavi to put the ball exactly where he said, and he’d score for sure. He had that play in his mind. Puyol came in like a missile and scored past Manuel Neuer.”
The 2010 World Cup final against the Netherlands went down as one of the most physical finals in recent history, something not lost on Pedro.
“I didn’t enjoy it as much as I would have liked,” he continues. “It was the final of a World Cup, where tension and nerves played their part. I had trouble sleeping the night before. A lot of people, family and fans came from Spain. We received a lot of messages. It was the most important match in the country’s history.
“We probably didn’t play at our best, but also didn’t expect the Dutch to play such a rough, disruptive game. They’d always been known for playing good football, but they interrupted the flow with rough play constantly. The referee got some decisions wrong, but Iniesta’s magical extra-time goal made it all right. We deserved to win that World Cup.”
Spain’s 1-0 win delivered the nation their first-ever World Cup victory and for Pedro, it proved to be an emotional occasion. “I remembered my beginnings, all the hours I spent kicking a ball with my friends and family, and all the effort they put in.” he reflects. “I thought about how many times I’d dreamed of being like Ronaldo, Rivaldo or Diego Maradona and lifting a World Cup – something that seemed unattainable. But it was real. It was literally incredible, but over time, you start to realise just how important it was. It was the most amazing achievement of my career.”
Pedro was also a part of Spain’s Euro 2012 victory, but only made three substitute appearances as they defended their title. “It felt a bit short, but I was happy to win the Euros. I had less of a role than in the World Cup, but the group was almost the same, and being part of that success made me happy. Coming on in the final against Italy was special, and the most important thing was retaining the trophy and celebrating it with the country.”
Spain’s golden run of three consecutive major tournament wins came to a crashing halt at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, as the team failed to make it past the group stage.
“It was a blow for everyone,” Pedro admits. “Internally, no-one expected to be eliminated so early having won so much in previous years. The expectation in the changing room was to defend the World Cup, or at least go far in the tournament. In the group stage, we had difficulties against the Netherlands, Chile played a fantastic match against us, and by the time we faced Australia, we were already out. It was the end of an era.”
